In February 2026, the IEEE Student Branch Ilmenau received a special award: it was honored with the IEEE Regional Exemplary Student Branch Award for special commitment to the goals of the IEEE. IEEE stands for Institute for Electrical and Electronic Engineers. Around 533,000 members make up the world's largest professional network for engineers, with around 224,000 student members being part of the network.
IEEE Student Branch Ilmenau, i.e. a student representation of the IEEE, was founded in 2009. A total of eight German colleges and universities have such an institution, and the IEEE Student Branch Ilmenau is well networked with these and also with international Student Branches. In addition to the Student Branch, which brings together students from various of the more than 40 societies, the IEEE Student Branch Ilmenau also maintains an active chapter, i.e. a subgroup, of the Power and Energy Society. This society deals with topics relating to energy systems, energy distribution and system automation. In addition, a chapter of the Biomedical Engineering Society (EMBS) is currently being established.
The Ilmenau Student Branch is currently headed by Dipl.-Ing. Carsten Gatermann and M. Sc. Nadja Belz from the Power Systems Group. For Carsten Gatermann, working and being a member of the IEEE is an exciting experience and an important opportunity to expand his professional network at this early stage of his academic career.
Working in the IEEE has already allowed me to get to know many people from my industry. Leading the Student Branch, but also being actively involved in the IEEE, is a great opportunity to expand networks and develop soft skills.
Since the end of 2025, the IEEE Student Branch Ilmenau has been working closely with the VDE University Group. The VDE is the German counterpart to the IEEE, whereby VDE stands for Verband der Elektrotechnik, Elektronik und Informationstechnik e.V. (Association for Electrical, Electronic & Information Technologies). The merger of IEEE and VDE is particularly advantageous for the members of both organizations, as it gives them an insight into both national and international networks. Both organizations welcome new members.
Excursions and workshops
At TU Ilmenau, the IEEE Student Branch regularly organizes events and workshops together with other student representatives and organizations. The events include excursions to global players such as Siemens, but also specialist company visits such as to Omexom, a company specializing in overhead line construction, or 50Hertz, the transmission system operator in eastern Germany and Hamburg. Nadja Belz, Vice Chair IEEE Student Branch Ilmenau:
Organizing field trips is a wonderful opportunity for us to get to know companies and to develop communication skills in preparation. The actual company visits always give us and the students exciting insights into the processes within the companies that welcome us on the excursions. In some cases, students have the opportunity to gain internships or work placements.
In addition to the excursions, the IEEE Student Branch Ilmenau regularly organizes workshops. In the winter semester, the members always offer an introductory Matlab workshop. This is supplemented by advanced courses on various topics such as electrical energy systems, signal processing or data analysis, and the IEEE Student Branch welcomes suggestions for workshops. In the future, new tools such as Python and LabView will be integrated into the workshop landscape of the IEEE Student Branch Ilmenau
Membership and benefits
The IEEE Student Branch Ilmenau brings together students and doctoral candidates from various disciplines and stages of their academic careers. All members of the IEEE Student Branch can contribute their ideas and play an active role in shaping the IEEE Student Branch program. IEEE membership is not required to join, but is recommended. The annual membership fee for (doctoral) students is 21 US dollars, an additional membership in the respective society is available for up to 5 US dollars.
Membership of the IEEE and, above all, involvement in the IEEE Student Branch Ilmenau are an important mark on your CV. The IEEE is an internationally recognized organization and through involvement in the Student Branch, skills such as team management, organization and communication are learned and strengthened. The IEEE Student Branch Ilmenau meets every two weeks for regular exchanges, more information can be found on the Student Branch website.
Contact
Carsten Gatermann
IEEE Student Branch Ilmenau Chair